A land grid array (sometimes referred to in the art as an "LGA") comprises an integrated circuit widely used as an integral component in a variety of products, such as computers, business machines, telecommunication systems and the like. The overall package includes a housing or frame for the integrated circuit, a printed circuit board secured to the frame, a connector array between the integrated circuit and the printed circuit board, and a cap or latch carried by the frame for retaining the overall assembly. The integrated circuit provides a very large number of electronic circuit functions and, typically, has several hundred circuit elements or pads on a ceramic substrate of around one inch square, thereby providing a very high degree of product performance and miniaturization.
In such a high circuit density, high-performance miniaturized package, heat dissipation becomes a problem which may result in premature failure of the integrated circuit, requiring expensive replacement and servicing of the overall product or equipment. Additionally, the mechanical forces between the cooperating circuit pads on the integrated circuit and the printed circuit board, respectively, are appreciable and may require closure forces of 25 to 50 pounds for the overall package. These packages require close manufacturing tolerances, resulting in increased production costs.